Demise of the Democrats

July 1, 2008, 7:20pm, 144 views,  Leave a Comment

Stott-Despoja and ChippI can’t say I’ve shed any tears at the demise of the Australian Democrats.

They were political prostitutes who never had to concern themselves with the responsibility of government.

That said, they appear rational and businesslike compared with the senate successors The Greens.

The Democrats gave us some characters like Don Chipp and the feisty Janine Haines. Natasha Stott-Despoya was pretty good looking too.

But there’s not much to lament about their political passing except the rise of an extreme left-wing alternative.

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Paid maternity leave

May 21, 2008, 8:41am, 126 views,  Leave a Comment

A strong push is under way for the Federal Government to increase paid maternity leave for new mothers.
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Democrats wither

November 5, 2007, 4:49pm, 188 views,  Leave a Comment

The Australian Democrats are facing a wipe-out at the November 24, 2007 election. Maybe they’ll save a seat in South Australia, but it’s looking grim.

Politics has changed since Don Chipp founded the party in 1977. The Labor and Liberal parties have moved more towards the centre for starters.

The Democrats found a niche in the loony left, withstood a challenge from the Nuclear Disarmament Party, but haven’t survived the emergence of the Greens.

Maybe that’s why battling Senator Andrew Bartlett attacked Family First for daring to favor Pauline Hanson over him in a preference deal.

Preference swaps are part pragmatism and part principle. It’s hard to fault Family First on either count in relation to that decision.

Parties that criticise others over preferences are either jilted lovers or hypocrites.

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